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Thru-hikers are being advised by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to postpone their hike until 2022/NPS

The country's ongoing battle with Covid-19 has led the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to urge thru-hikers to postpone their 2021 trek along the iconic footpath that stretches from Maine to Georgia.

The conservancy first made that suggestion, saying in a post that "(T)he rising number of COVID-19 cases continues to make long-distance hiking a potential contributor to the spread of coronavirus along the trail and in trailside communities. The best way to ensure you and others remain safe is to postpone your hikes."

The message is being repeated on its website:

The ATC continues to advise long-distance hikers to postpone hikes until 2022 or when the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has deemed the pandemic under control, and/or a COVID-19 vaccine or effective treatment is widely available and distributed.

That said, ATC regional officials have said some 2,000 hikers already have registered to attempt a thru-hike this year.

According to the conservancy, states along the nearly 2,200-mile-long trail have a range of requirements for hikers.

Quarantines, testing requirements, or other travel restrictions or recommendations are currently in place for some or most visitors to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

See the A.T. Closures page for details.

GEORGIA, NORTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, AND VIRGINIA

All shelters on U.S. Forest Service lands (most areas between the southern terminus in Georgia and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia) remain closed. Click here for more information

PENNSYLVANIA

Hamburg Borough Watershed – 10 miles of the A.T. Closed to overnight use and parking

The Hamburg Reservoir parking lot and public access to A.T. are open to public daily from dawn to dusk. No overnight parking will be permitted until further notice.  Click here for more information.

MASSACHUSETTS

All overnight camping is prohibited.

Due to camping and shelter closures on all federal and state lands in Massachusetts, no overnight camping is available. Click here for more information.

SHELTER AND PRIVY ADVISORY

Due to the difficulty of social distancing and the possibility of COVID-19 being transmitted on surfaces, hikers are advised to avoid shelters and picnic tables, and bring their own personal shelter and food storage device.

Also note that many privies are currently not being maintained. To avoid overflowing privies and placing extra burdens on volunteers when they return to the field, we recommend avoiding the use privies unless otherwise stipulated by the local Trail maintaining club or land management agency.

In all cases, bring a trowel to dig a cathole following Leave No Trace principles, the conservancy recommends. Most A.T. privies are maintained by volunteers on an infrequent schedule. However, the privies at overnight campsites overseen by on-site Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) caretakers (primarily in New Hampshire) are cleaned on a daily basis, leading to a lower risk of spreading COVID-19. Additionally, many of these AMC overnight sites are located in areas where digging a cathole can be ineffective.

You should be aware that many shelters and privies are officially closed, even if signage is not posted at the site location.

Camping is generally allowed around closed shelters unless posted otherwise. 

Additionally, the conservany wants hikers who test positive for Covid-19 to "submit a report to the ATC with as much detail as possible. This will help us track potential infections and inform other hikers of needed safety precautions."

The conservancy also links to a page that tracks Covid-19 cases in counties along the Appalachian Trail.